Latest news with #urogynaecology
The Sun
24-05-2025
- Health
- The Sun
I get up to pee almost every hour every night – help! It can't be normal
OUR resident specialist and NHS GP, Dr Zoe Williams, shares her expert advice. Today, Dr Zoe helps a reader who gets up to pee almost every hour every night. 2 Q) I've had a lot of trouble down below, with a prolapse, overactive bladder and bleeding. I go for a wee hourly at night. Can you advise? A) Many people suffer in silence with these types of urogynaecological issues, so thank you for writing in to me. It's very important that women feel they can be open and speak up about issues like this, so often seen as taboo and brushed under the carpet. It really frustrates me when I hear terms such as, 'It's part of being a woman' or even, 'Women's problems . . . ', because it's not normal and there are treatments. There are lifestyle measures that can be advised, such as pelvic-floor training and avoiding things that irritate your bladder – think caffeine, alcohol and fizzy drinks, for example. In addition, there are several medications that can treat an overactive bladder – and alternative treatments, such as pessaries to help support the pelvic organs. In some cases, surgery is deemed the best treatment strategy but of course this is only if it fits with the patient's own wishes. Sometimes it is a case of trying several things to see what works. The 4 best moves to beat incontinence, boost your sex life & flatten your tummy The main message is, please do not suffer in silence or believe this is a normal part of being a woman. Please seek support, advice and treatment from your GP so that you can live with the best quality of life. Are you curious about side effects, whether they could be right for you, or how to best eat while on them? Send me your questions for a Live Q&A on the hot topic. No question is too big, small or silly. Send your questions to health@ What is urinary incontinence? There are several types of urinary incontinence: Stress incontinence: when urine leaks out at times when your bladder is under pressure; for example, when you cough or laugh. Causes include weakening or damage to the muscles used to prevent urination, such as pelvic floor muscles and the urethral sphincter. Urge (urgency) incontinence: when urine leaks as you feel a sudden, intense urge to pee, or soon afterwards. This is usually the result of overactivity of the detrusor muscles, which control the bladder. Overflow incontinence (chronic urinary retention) – when you're unable to fully empty your bladder, which causes frequent leaking. This could be caused by a blockage in your bladder, preventing it from emptying fully. Total incontinence – when your bladder cannot store any urine at all, which causes you to pass urine constantly or have frequent leaking. This could be caused by a problem with the bladder from birth, a spinal injury or a small hole that can form between the bladder and nearby area (fistula). Pregnancy, childbirth, obesity, increasing age (although incontinence is not an inevitable part of aging) and a family history of incontinence.
Daily Mail
07-05-2025
- Health
- Daily Mail
I'm a doctor - here's the shocking reason you should NEVER pee in the shower - long-term harm could be difficult to reverse
Medics have issued an urgent health warning about urinating in the shower, as it could render you incontinent and in some cases even cause kidney damage. American urogynaecologist Dr Teresa Irwin took to TikTok in a bid to stop people from engaging in the habit committed by 60-80 per cent of the public, polls suggest. In the clip shared with her 90,000 followers, Dr Irwin claimed that urinating while showering trains the brain to associate the sound of running water with needing to urinate. 'It's kind of like Pavlov's dog training where every time they heard a little bell ring they will start to salivate,' she said. 'So every time you're washing your hands, taking a shower, washing the dishes, if there is running water your bladder is going to "salivating" because it wants to go and pee.' In the long term this can mess with the body's internal bladder control leading to frequent rushes to the toilet. But that's not the only potential health hazard linked to urinating in the shower. Some experts warn women who do so could risk urinary tract infections and even kidney failure. While the male bladder is supported by the prostate when urinating while standing, women don't have this luxury. Women who urinate while standing are putting their pelvic floor muscles under extra strain, which can lead to the bladder failing to empty. This leftover urine, medically called urinary retention, can lead to a host of health problems. Dr Alicia Jeffrey-Thomas, a Boston-based pelvic floor therapist previously warned that women are 'not designed to pee standing up'. 'Your pelvic floor isn't going to relax properly, which means we're really not going to be emptying our bladder super well,' she said. One final danger from urinating in the shower, for both men and women, is the potential risk of skin infection. Open wounds on the lower body can easily become infected with bacteria that may be lurking in urine. However, experts say the risk is relatively minor since, in theory, the water from the shower should wash the urine away from the wound.
